St James is a
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...
in
Poole
Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...
on the south coast of
England, in the
ceremonial county
The counties and areas for the purposes of the lieutenancies, also referred to as the lieutenancy areas of England and informally known as ceremonial counties, are areas of England to which lords-lieutenant are appointed. Legally, the areas i ...
of
Dorset.
The church is located in the historic quarter of the town, near
Poole Harbour. It is the parish church for the St James sub district of Poole. Today the church is still in use by the local population and has a large playgroup. Lucy Holt is the current
minister
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
of the church.
History
The church is named for
Saint James Saint James or St. James may refer to:
People Saints
*James, brother of Jesus (died 62 or 69), also known as James the Just
*James the Great (died 44), Apostle, also known as James, son of Zebedee, or Saint James the Greater
**Saint James Matamoro ...
, Poole having once been medieval departure point for those embarking for mainland Europe to proceed on the
Camino de Santiago
The Camino de Santiago ( la, Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; gl, O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint ...
.
The church has long been associated with the local maritime and fishing trades.
It is known locally as 'the fishermen's church'.
The church has an unusual
weather vane fashioned in the shape of a
fish. A church has stood on this spot for around 800 years but at the start of the 19th century, with the wealth of the Newfoundland trade, local merchants and dignitaries subscribed to rebuilding in the
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
style, which is what we see today. The church is seen as a good example of English Georgian religious architecture.
English Heritage have designated it a Grade II*
listed building.
It has a small churchyard, predominantly 18th century interments, with a few in the early 1800s. The church used another burial site at Hunger Hill and, after 1855, the new municipal cemetery at
Oakdale.
Bell legend
The church has a long tradition of bell ringing. Local lore has it that during
Edward VI's reign, the
Duke of Somerset ordered eight bells to be sold in aid of Poole's fortification. Unfortunately the bells were lost at sea during passage to
Holland.
Poole (St. James), Dorset
Gallery
Image:St_James_Poole_1.JPG, Interior
Image:St_James_Poole_2.JPG, Interior
References
External links
Official site
{{Coord, 50.713, N, 1.989, W, display=title
Poole, St James Church
Churches in Poole
Poole, St James Church